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00:00If you don't, you're about to.
00:06She's the first woman to drop a hundred foot waterfall into chaos
00:10and out smiling on the other side.
00:16But every athlete has a moment that doesn't make the highlight real.
00:22Yeah, you're fired up.
00:24Good, you're out here alone.
00:27I want out.
00:30Not every expedition ends in triumph.
00:33Some just end with questions.
00:35I never want to do that ever again.
00:38Now what?
00:40And that's where the good stuff lives.
00:44G'day, I'm Beau Miles, professional chair carrier, outdoor type.
00:49Can I tell you what I love?
00:50A good outdoor adventure.
00:55I believe the best conversation happened in the outdoors.
00:58So I bring my camping chairs to world-class athletes.
01:02I'll be back.
01:02They take me to a wild interview location and we revisit some of their past expeditions to
01:07unpack what was really going on.
01:09You said you were not going to ask art questions.
01:13I'm in Val d'Isere, France, to meet Nuria.
01:16Hello.
01:16Oh, I love sweaty hugs.
01:18Yeah, I'm, yeah.
01:19What is this thing?
01:20Well, you're a kayaker.
01:22I thought I'd better wear my kayaking stuff.
01:24I want to dig deeper into the hardest chapter of her career after a treacherous expedition
01:29to Ecuador and how she found the courage to return to the river, the Indus in Pakistan and run
01:38a rapid, never paddled by a woman before, the monstrous Malupa.
01:44Norea, this is Val d'Isere.
01:49This is famous for skiing and winter sports.
01:52Well, shouldn't you live at the base of a big, giant river or, you know, India or Pakistan
01:56or something?
01:56I wish, but I grew up here and I like it here and skiing is quite cool.
02:02And I still have a really nice river, not all year round, but when it's running, it's
02:07really epic, you're going to see.
02:09It's occurred to me a lot of people think that kayaking is a solo sport where it's just
02:14you and your paddle and the enigma of rivers.
02:20But really, it's about teens, isn't it?
02:23Yeah, you start in the club, so you're with other kids, so you always have a team.
02:28And then as you grow up, you also always go paddle and travel with friends.
02:33Like sometimes you can solo, but most of the time you're with a team and it's very important.
02:38They've got your back, you've got their back.
02:40That's why you really want to go with good friends.
02:42Yeah, you need that.
02:43Because when things got bad, things got bad, don't they?
02:46Hold on!
02:51Okay.
02:51I think Ecuador was a failure.
02:55You're fired up, all right!
02:57I lost friends or teammates, at least.
03:01I think we're still friends.
03:02That's really interesting to you.
03:03I hope so.
03:04Yeah, so do I.
03:06Let's go back to 2021, when Noria was attempting to run the Chalupas River in Ecuador.
03:1280 kilometres long through remote jungle, the river drops 3,000 metres and it's staggeringly
03:18technical white water.
03:19Come on, look at this huge rabbit down there.
03:23It's the sort of first descent you dream about, planned for years.
03:26An only attempt with people you trust your life with.
03:30For Noria, that was Ben and Boomer.
03:32The plan looked perfect, but rivers don't give a damn about plans, especially in a watershed
03:39that gets up to four metres of rain a year, which is massive, eight times what London gets.
03:45Are we doing seven nights, eight days?
03:48Are we doing seven nights, eight days?
03:49I would imagine eight days, from the way we calculated it, right?
03:59We're just so stoked with the weather.
04:02We got really lucky.
04:03A little bit f***ed.
04:06We were going very slow because that river was steep and required a lot of get out of
04:12the boats, scout, portage.
04:15And then we were getting flash flood.
04:19The start was a bit of a disaster, but I still thought it was possible.
04:28Waiting for it to drop, I was like, this is going to happen again, and there is no way
04:35we're going to make it.
04:41Oh, f***!
04:43F***!
04:44Hey!
04:44Oh, f*** it!
04:45It's a f***!
04:46Stop!
04:48F***!
04:49Hold on!
04:52Did you feel it along the way?
04:53Did you feel the slippery slope?
04:55I think the main problem was that you're in the jungle, it's pouring rain, when you get
05:01off the river, everyone is kind of going to set up their tarp, their hammock, and you
05:07stay alone.
05:10We never got moments to talk about things or joke outside of operating together on the river.
05:17Then our perception of things probably drifted apart.
05:21Ben and Boomer were more optimistic, and I think I'm not comfortable with how much chances
05:29we're taking.
05:31Every day, I could see that we had, like, marginal lines or moments that were sketchy.
05:36The more mistakes you're going to make, the more it's going to end up being fatal at some
05:41point.
05:41I'm used to get scared, but it wasn't just being scared, it really built up anxiety.
06:04Hey, guys, we're getting ready to go.
06:08She's in the rapid.
06:13Whoa!
06:14Oh, my f***!
06:18Yeah?
06:19You fired up?
06:20Yeah, you fired up?
06:22Good!
06:22You fired up!
06:23All right!
06:24You still launched while I'm going in the rapid, because you don't hear those guys.
06:29I just don't want to be on this f***ing sketchy-ass river with you, because I don't believe you
06:34guys are making the right decisions.
06:36You're not going to, you're not going to, you're not going to, you're not going to.
06:37I want out.
06:40It's too dangerous.
06:41It's not really worth it.
06:43I'm not dying for a film project.
06:46I've pushed it too far.
06:51I never want to do that ever again.
06:53Now what?
06:55When I paddled around Africa, or at least I tried to, I tried to paddle from one side
07:00to the other, it took me five months, and I ended up doing 2,000 kilometers, and I wanted
07:05to do 4,000 kilometers.
07:07And I was a broken man at the end of it.
07:08I thought it was a huge failure.
07:11My identity was really in question because of it.
07:14After the experience in Ecuador, did you feel like your identity was in crisis?
07:19You know, there's like the fact that you don't accomplish what you set yourself for.
07:24But in regards of that, I think I was fine with my decision.
07:28I was really sad because I knew I'd lost my team.
07:31You know, I think Ben and Boomer are still my friends.
07:34They will always be my friends in the sense that we've lived really strong, powerful experiences.
07:41But probably we will not go on an expedition ever again because some sort of trust is broken.
07:49Did you feel like the Noria, this kick-ass decision maker, did you think you took a hit?
07:55How did you go?
07:56It's hard to trust yourself when, you know, you've taken a questionable decision before.
08:02In my job, as a professional caliaker, I need to come up with ideas and set up projects.
08:09And it definitely was like a rough couple years for my headspace, but also for my job.
08:17But I think traveling to other rivers was perfect.
08:21A couple of rough years can rattle anyone's confidence.
08:27Noria needed a reset, something big enough to shake her out of her funk.
08:32For her, that meant setting her sights on the Indus in Pakistan, one of the wildest rivers on earth.
08:39The Indus is something that always attracted me.
08:42But when your confidence is down, it's really hard to make things happen.
08:46There's some big things on the Indus River, one of the biggest rivers in the world,
08:51underneath one of the biggest mountain ranges in the world.
08:53It's the new benchmark in terms of big water.
08:56The bigger, most well-known rapid of the Indus is called Malupa.
09:04Malupa had only been run once, never by a woman before.
09:09Ah, I appreciate it.
09:11Okay, am I up to the challenge and that new benchmark?
09:16What were the things that, Rado, I've got to change up my methodology here of expeditioning.
09:21All the Ecuador things happened and I was like, no, I don't want to go there with anyone.
09:27I wanted to be special.
09:31I decided to go with childhood friends.
09:34We've known each other for so many years.
09:36I think when I paid, I left the radio on the counter.
09:41Remember?
09:42Yes.
09:42It's like that, there's always one, it's you.
09:46Yeah, that sense of safety, and that's super important.
09:49We often forget that because you think, oh, I'm just going to go out with the most badass kayakers
09:53and do badass rivers, but the mix might not work based on that.
09:58It's always nice to know your team in an environment there's hard challenges,
10:02so I could rebuild confidence.
10:04Let's go, let's go.
10:05Let's go, let's go.
10:06Let's go.
10:06It's nothing like that.
10:08Oh, no, no.
10:10I'm attracted to running new rivers and being the first somewhere is appealing because I like
10:16that part of unknown.
10:20We're nervous.
10:21This is the big famous river.
10:24There's a little pressure that they're going up.
10:25Okay.
10:27We were so nervous.
10:31The small rapids that we hadn't even seen in any of the videos because they're small,
10:36so no one even shoots them, were like some of the biggest stuff we had ever run.
10:42Are we sure we're up to it?
10:44So, you get to this first big rapid called Le Trou d'Agnol, is that right?
10:55Le Trou d'Agnol.
10:56Exactly what I said, yeah.
10:58This is your first true test of being back on a big river on a big expedition.
11:02So, talk us through that first vision of this big rapid.
11:06It's just a horrific hole, like the washing machine.
11:10I'm pretty lightweight, that kind of move, I'm like more inclined to get stuck.
11:18In some groups, you're tempted to really push, push, push.
11:23I think it's nice to have people you know that if you want to push, they're going to support
11:28you, but that it's not going to be an escalation of, oh, I did it, so I'm going to do it and do
11:34always more and more.
11:35Is it almost liberating when you say, no, too big, too hard?
11:50Sometimes it's very liberating and sometimes it's harder because you really want to do
11:56it and it's just not the right time and those rapids are going to haunt you for a little
12:02bit, you know.
12:03People always say, ah, this rapid will always be there, but rivers are very dynamic.
12:09Rocks can move, rapids are changing, so sometimes you walk away forever.
12:14Day one on the Indus, Noria skipped her first big challenge, which was probably the right
12:28call.
12:29No ego, no pressure, just instincts.
12:32And that's what sets her apart.
12:34It's not about running everything, it's about knowing when to listen to yourself and how to
12:38read the water.
12:41Back in her home rapid, Noria walks me through that decision-making process.
12:45So you've paddled lots of rivers before where you've never paddled before or they've never
12:49been paddled by anyone.
12:51So you've got to find a little beach, get out and go and check out the rapid.
12:55Why is that so important?
12:56Why have you got to see what's ahead of you?
12:58Sometimes you can read and run.
12:59Yeah.
13:00So if you're in your carack and it's not too steep, you kind of see the exit of the rapid.
13:05Read and run, I like that.
13:05And you analyze as you go, but once it's like harder rapids or you don't see, you need
13:11to scout.
13:12Yes.
13:12I've learned that the hard way.
13:14Yeah.
13:14Do you want me to give you my take on how I would read this river?
13:18Yeah, let's try.
13:19All right.
13:19So I'm basically reverse engineering what I see and I'm looking for the dangers.
13:24The main dangers I see are this strainer down here, this bit of tree.
13:29I don't want to hit that, so I want to avoid that.
13:31So I'm then going to be on river left.
13:32And it sort of does this lovely S, I'm looking for the main water and I want to stay away
13:37from what I think are some holes.
13:39Am I going to get through this rapid?
13:40Break my line.
13:41I think it was a good line.
13:43You might not get hurt.
13:44Okay.
13:45But there's like 50, 50% chance that you're going to eat shit.
13:49Yeah.
13:49I'm not up to it, by the way.
13:51I won't be doing this one with you today.
13:53I wasn't going to offer.
13:54No, that's good.
13:55Tell me the golden line.
14:00I like to focus first on the positives.
14:03Okay.
14:04So instead of like looking at like where I don't want to go, I'm going to look at where
14:13I want to go rather than what to avoid.
14:15Back to the left.
14:17Oh, yes.
14:24I've never paddled a river like this.
14:26I won't be doing that any time soon.
14:29That was the best movie I've ever seen.
14:32It was awesome.
14:33What I love about Noria is she's wired to see the good first.
14:37She passed on the truth, Daniel, and focused on what lay ahead.
14:43That's it.
14:44No dwelling.
14:45After all, I mean, she's in Pakistan, paddling down one of the world's wildest rivers with
14:50her best mates.
14:54That mindset matters.
14:57Because the next rapid doesn't care how the heck positive you are.
15:03We reached that rapid and we know it's one of the big ones.
15:07How did you decide who ran first on that rapid?
15:10On that trip, we did a lot of like looking at each other and being like, you want to
15:16go first?
15:16Do I want to go first?
15:19Miles scouted and he was maybe more sure of himself than we were.
15:25And so he naturally took the lead on that one.
15:29Julie.
15:37I wanted to be further right than Mael because I was trying to avoid one hole.
16:05I went too far right and I'm like fighting to get back on the line.
16:26With that line up, it could have gone quite horribly wrong.
16:35Super, I'm welcome.
16:36Up to that point, we were still not sure if we were up to the level of the Indus.
16:46Do you think as the vibe was so good, it sort of increases your confidence and you can just
16:57continue to do these big waves?
16:59And by contrast, in Ecuador, when the vibe was bad, it's sort of chinkering away at your confidence.
17:05When everything is going well, the group is having a good time, spirits are high, people
17:12are having good lines, it's building up everyone's confidence versus when things are starting to
17:20go sideways, then, you know, everything gets harder.
17:24And the dynamics are definitely not helping.
17:31And I think in Pakistan, we really had that, like, good spirit.
17:39The better the energy between the group, the more group confidence you're going to have
17:47because you, in a sense, feed off each other, makes sense, doesn't it?
17:59Two days of whitewater paddling with her childhood friends seem to have rebuilt some of what Ecuador
18:04had taken away.
18:06The confidence, the trust, joy.
18:10On the Indus, rabbits don't just test your skills, they test your team.
18:14And this crew had passed with flying colours.
18:17It's safe to say they're ready for the biggest rapid of them all, Malupa.
18:26It's like a monster rapid, and it's the biggest rapid we've ever run.
18:34And it's in a landslide, so it's changing every year.
18:37Depending on how rocks have fallen or water levels, it might be runnable or not.
18:43Part of me is like, I hope it's not runnable.
18:50This is the best.
19:05This is the best.
19:06This is the best.
19:07This is the best.
19:08We start scouting, and very early on, we see a line.
19:13And now we're like, OK, now we want to run it.
19:17Yeah, but it looks like...
19:19There's a lot of water.
19:20In fact, I think it's like...
19:22Everything.
19:23All right.
19:24We're just not finished.
19:26Yeah.
19:27You're looking at it, and you see the potential danger.
19:30The pocket on the left, which is like the main one.
19:33Which sounds kind of cute, but explain to us what a pocket is.
19:37The pocket is bouncing off rocks on the side, so it's recirculating on the side like this.
19:44And you can get stuck in them.
19:46And that's pretty much game over if you go into that pocket?
19:49You don't know.
19:50It might flush you out, but it might not.
19:54And I never want to know.
19:57Everything on the Indus has been leading to this.
20:00Malupa.
20:01For Nuria, it's more than just a rapid.
20:04It's where every lesson, every decision, and every ounce of confidence she's rebuilt comes together.
20:11All right.
20:15All right.
20:16We're going to get in there.
20:17The second attempt for Malupa Falls.
20:21The first woman in history.
20:23All right, Nounou.
20:41All right.
20:42All right.
20:43Nono.
20:44All right.
20:45Let's go.
21:06All right, Nounou.
21:07All right.
21:08It's time to go, damn it, it's time to go!
21:21My friends are my heroes.
21:24When you end up running a rapid backwards and then upside down,
21:29never a full validation.
21:33But at the same time watching Jules nail the line was such a good feeling.
21:37Now I was just really stoked about Maloupa and that whole trip in Pakistan that you find the flow again.
21:53It definitely was like a rough couple years for my headspace.
22:02You do a very ambitious project and you kind of like smash your face at it.
22:09It's a learning experience and it's okay to fail and learn from things.
22:15It took me like longer to get over it. I don't even know if I'm like fully over it.
22:22Salam Aleikum!
22:25You've said before that the Pakistan trip wasn't about being back.
22:29It was more about aligning with your values.
22:31So do you think now that your evolution of adventure has really kind of taken place
22:35and you know exactly what you're looking for?
22:37I think that the only definition of adventure that I have is to commit to something
22:42where you don't necessarily know the outcome.
22:45If you love someone and you have a crush on someone,
22:49that's probably the start of an adventure as well.
22:52What I can take away is that I want to keep doing it with people that I love,
23:04that I'm going to have a great time with.
23:09And whom I align on values with.
23:14Thank you for inviting me. You're a force of nature and it's been a pleasure.
23:17Thanks. Let's go kayaking.
23:19Alright, let's do that.
23:21In watching all your footage before meeting you,
23:24my little daughter came up and she said,
23:26that's a girl? I said, yeah, yeah.
23:28And she said, I can do that?
23:29I said, yeah, you can, love. You can do that one day.
23:32You know, watching for years.
23:33Yeah, that's cool.
23:34It was really cool.
23:36I ended up taking Noria's offer to go whitewater kayaking.
23:40I've been hinting at it for days.
23:42Let's go! Yes! Nice!
23:45Yes! Come on, boo!
23:47Ten minutes later she had to drag my sorry ass out of the water.
23:50I gotcha!
23:52Thanks Noria for saving me.
23:54Thank you for saving me.
23:59I gave us a different vision,
24:00thank you for saving me.
24:01That's all.
24:02I
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